Blood From a Stone (27 page)

“
S
o,
W
ill
o
w
.
T
e
l
l
m
e
about
y
ou
r
se
lf
,”
he
sa
i
d.
“
A
nd
I
don
’
t 
m
ean
t
he
L
one
l
y
H
ea
rt
s
C
l
ub
pe
r
sona
l
s
ads
crap
li
k
e
‘l
ong
w
a
l
k
s
on
t
he beach, sunse
t
s, qu
i
et
d
i
nne
r
s and ho
l
d
i
ng hand
s
’ t
hat
e
v
e
r
y s
i
n
g
l
e
pe
r
son
i
n
A
m
e
ri
ca c
l
a
i
m
s
t
o

ha
v
e as
a hobb
y
.
T
e
l
l
m
e so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
real
about
y
ou.”

H
e
fi
g
u
r
ed
i
t
w
as
a sa
f
e s
t
a
t
e
m
ent
t
o
m
a
k
e because e
v
e
r
y
one
e
v
en
back
i
n
1961
sa
i
d
t
he
sa
m
e
c
r
ap
i
n
t
hose
ads and
he
’
d
w
a
g
er
t
h
i
n
g
s
p
r
obab
l
y hadn
’
t
chan
g
ed
t
oo
m
uch.
A
t
l
east
he
hoped
t
hey hadn
’
t
or
he
’
d
sound
da
m
ned
s
t
up
i
d
ri
g
ht about
no
w
.

S
he
l
au
g
hed
at
t
he hu
m
or
i
n
it
, because
i
t
w
as
tr
u
e
!
E
v
e
r
y
one
i
n
t
he
on
li
ne
da
ti
ng
se
r
v
i
ces
d
i
d
seem
t
o
l
ay
c
l
a
i
m
t
o
t
hose sa
m
e
i
n
t
e
r
es
t
s.

S
he nodded.
“W
hat
do
y
ou
w
ant
t
o
k
no
w
?”

H
e
sh
r
u
gg
ed
r
e
li
e
v
ed
t
hat
she
d
i
dn
’
t
seem
f
a
z
ed
by h
i
s
s
t
a
t
e
m
ent
about
t
he
pe
r
sona
l
s
ads.
“We
ll
,
y
ou
sa
i
d
y
ou
w
e
r
e a nu
r
se. What
e
l
se do
y
ou do
i
n
lif
e?
H
obb
i
es?
S
po
rt
s?”

“
A
c
t
ua
ll
y
,
I
t
a
k
e
l
ong
w
a
l
k
s
on
t
he
beach
at
su
n
set and
m
a
k
e qu
i
et
d
i
nne
r
s,” she sa
i
d sa
r
cas
ti
ca
ll
y
.
“
S
e
ri
ou
s
l
y
,
t
hou
g
h.
I
w
o
r
k
on
t
he
fift
h
fl
oor
at
S
t
.
L
u
k
e
’
s.
S
o
does
S
asha.
O
ur
schedu
l
e
r
o
t
a
t
es
so
w
e
don
’
t
a
l
w
a
y
s
g
et
F
r
i
da
y
s
and
S
a
t
u
r
da
y
s
o
ff
,
so
w
e
dec
i
ded
t
o
co
m
e
out
and
ce
l
eb
r
a
t
e
s
i
nce
w
e bo
t
h
g
ot
a
F
ri
day
o
f
f
f
or
once.”

H
e
nodded.
“
D
o
y
ou
ha
v
e
a
spec
i
a
lt
y
or
a
ce
rt
a
i
n
a
r
ea
w
he
r
e
y
ou
w
o
r
k
?
O
pe
r
a
ti
ng
r
oo
m
?
E
m
e
r
g
enc
y
?”

“A
c
t
ua
ll
y
,
y
eah.
I
w
o
r
k
i
n
t
he
ped
i
a
tri
c
w
a
r
d.
I
t
a
k
e ca
r
e
of
s
i
ck
ch
il
d
r
en
i
n
t
he
m
a
i
n
un
i
t
and
i
n
post
op.
I
a
l
so ha
v
e ano
t
her
de
g
r
ee and can do
l
abs
and b
l
ood
w
o
r
k
ups
.”

“Wo
w
,”
he
sa
i
d.
“
T
ha
t’
s
i
m
p
r
ess
i
v
e.
A
j
ob
li
k
e
t
hat

t
a
k
i
ng
ca
r
e
of
k
i
ds…
t
hat
t
a
k
es
a
l
ot
of
cou
r
a
g
e.
A
nd
a
b
i
g hea
rt
.”
  He nodded and smiled even though he wasn’t e
x
actly sure what the terms ‘labs’ or ‘blood work ups’ meant. Must have to do with something in a laboratory and blood tests? He’d have to look them up later. No matter…he’d meant what he said about taking care of kids.